316 OWEN'S POSITION IN 



I do not for a moment suggest, indeed I can- 

 not imagine, that Owen approved of such extra- 

 vagances as those which I have cited ; but that he 

 was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Oken, 

 bringing it, apparently, in his own mind into har- 

 mony with that of the English Platonists, and 

 especially of Cudworth, is a conclusion which can 

 hardly be avoided. The following passages alone 

 appear to me to be decisive : — 



' Now, besides the ISea, organizing principle, 

 vital property, or force, which produces the diver- 

 sity of form belonging to living bodies of the same 

 materials, which diversity cannot be explained by 

 any known properties of matter, there appears also 

 to be in counter-operation, during the building-up of 

 such bodies, thepolarizing force pervadingall space, 

 and to the operation of which force, or mode of 

 force, the similarity of forms, the repetition of 

 parts, the signs of the unity of organisation may 

 be mainly ascribed. 



' The Platonic ISea, or specific organising prin- 

 ciple or force, would seem to be in antagonism 

 with the general polarizing force, and to subdue 

 and mould it in subserviency to the exigencies of 

 the resulting specific form.' 4 



1 Now, however, the recognition of an ideal 

 Exemplar for the Vertebrated animals proves that 



4 On the Archetype and Homologies of the Vertebrate Skeleton 

 -(1848), p. 172. 



